Salt-cellar



(No Model.)

86 G; W. HEYER.

SALT CELLAR.

No. 465,526. Patented Dec. 22, 1891.

INVENTORS;

7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK HEYER AND GEORGE IV. HEYER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SALT-CELLAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,526, dated December22, 1891..

Application filed November 1'7, 1890. Serial No. 371,626. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK HEYER and GEORGE W. HEYER, of Philadelphia, inthe county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, citizens of theUnited States, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Salt Containers or Cellars, of which the following is aspecification.

It is the object of our invention to provide an inexpensive andsymmetrical salt-container equipped with an agitator capable of beingoperated by the rotation of a part of the container itself to occasionthe breaking up of the salt, which agitator, moreover, is of suchconstruction as to force the salt through the perforated cap.

Generally stated our invention compre hends the provision, in connectionwith a saltcellar, of an agitator or breaker of novel form andarrangement, and, further, comprehends the construction of the containerin two parts, connected in such manner by a swivel-joint or otherwise asto be rotatable with reference to each other and upon one of which theagitator referred to is connected.

In the drawings we show and herein we describe a preferred form of aconvenient embodiment of ourinvention, the particular subject-matterclaimed as novel being hereinafter definitely specified.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of adevice embodyingour invention. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the parts of thedevice detached from each other. Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectionalelevation of the device.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A is the body of the container, the same being a tubeof cylindrical or any other preferred plan, the upper end of which isprovided with a screw-thread to receive a correspondingly-screw-threadedcap B of any usual construction.

0 is the agitator, the same being in construction of any preferred form,but preferably of that shown in the drawings, in which it is shown asconsisting of a vertical stem provided with a series of cross-bars c c cc, which cross-bars are of proper length to each reach almost to thatpart of the wall of the container abreast of which theyhappen to be,

. the length of the cross-bars, as will be seen from the drawings,varying to suit the different diameters of the container-body A, and, ofcourse, when containers of shapes other than that shown in the drawingsare employed the proportions of the cross-bars will be modified toaccommodate such shapes.

In the drawings we show the cross-bars as existing in independence ofeach other and as in parallelism in the same vertical plane; but it willbe understood, of course, that other dispositions and arrangements maybe resorted to. The upper cross-bar c is located in close proximity tothe under face of the perforated cap, so as in rotation to sweep acrossthe face of said cap, and said cross-bar is preferably, as shown,slightly beveled or inclined to constitute it a partial spiral, andthereby to act with more certainty in expelling the salt.

D is the bottom of the container, the same being a disk of size slightlyin excess of the diameter of the container-body and designed to besecured thereto by means which will leave it free to be rotated withreference to the same. This may of course be accomplished by a varietyof expedients; but We prefer to resort to the following construction. (1is an annular vertical flange rising from said bottom D and of suchdiameter as to snugly encircle the bottom of the container. The upperend c of the agitator-stem projects through an opening in the centralportion of the perforated cap, above which it is serew-threadedandprovided with a retaining-nut 0 which may conveniently be of anornamental configuration, such as that shown. The proportions of therespective parts are such that when the nut c is screwed home the bottomD, to which the foot of the agitator is securely fastened, is carriedand seated against the bottom of the containerbody and is held in suchposition by the nut through the medium of the agitator-stem, while atthe same time both the agitator and bottom are left free for rotation.

The operation of the device is as follows:

To ordinarily use the device to distribute the contained salt it issimply inverted and shaken in the manner usual with devices of thischaracter. When, however, the salt has solidified orpacked and fails topass out when shaken, the container is held stationary and the bottom ofthe container, carrying with it the arm-provided agitator, is rotatedback- Ward and forward, whereby the mass of salt is thoroughly brokenup, and descending in its broken condition against the perforated cap iscaught by the spiral cross-bar and swept across the face of the cap, andthereby caused to pass out. It will be readily under stood that byforming the upper cross-bar into a spiral, as described, it is enabledto ride over, so to speak, or grasp between itself and the perforatedcap larger masses of salt than could be operated upon were saidcross-bar straight, as the others happen to be shown as being. Of coursein this operation when the upper cross-bar is formed as a spiralthe-best results are obtained, so far as it is concerned, by acontinuous rotation of the bottom in one direction, instead of back andforth, as above described. It is of course obvious that when theperforated cap happens to be constructed of a convex or conical or otherform, instead of the flat form shown, the upper cross-bar, whetherformed as a spiral or not, may be modified in outline to suit the shapeof said top.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. In combination, a salt-container body provided with aperforatedtop, an independent bottom fitted free for rotation againstthe lower end of said container-body, and an agitator fixedly connectedwith said bottom, the upper end of which passes through the perforatedtop and is provided with means by which it and the bottom are secured inposition relatively to the body, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination, a salt-container body provided with a perforated top,an independent bottom fitted free for rotation against the lower end ofsaid body, and an agitator fixedly connected with said bottom, providedwith lateral extensions adapted to stir the salt contained in the lowerportion of the body, and also provided with an arm or extension whichsweeps the inner face of the perforated top, the upper end of whichagitator passes through the perforated top and is provided with means bywhich it and the bottom are secured in position relatively to the body,substantially as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we havehereunto signed our names this 10th day of November, A. D. 1890.

FRANK HEYER.

GEORGE W. HEYER.

Witnesses:

A. LINCOLN ACKER, CORNELIUS S. KLEIN.

